Bottle carrier



E. L. ARNESON BOTTLE CARRIER April 4, 1944.

' Filed March 17, 1941 INVENTOR. I Faa/ Illa/7265072 BY Med A r. 4. 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca Edwin L. Arncson, Morris, llL, assignor to Morris Paper Mills, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of ill!- nois Claims.

This invention relates to bottle carriers or receptacles for the packaging of a plurality of bottles of beverage or the like in a manner such that they will be securely retained and may be carried conveniently.

A general object to the present invention is the provision of a container of this kindwhich may be supplied to the user at very low cost, which may be packaged for shipment and storage in collapsed or flat knocked-down condition and which may 'be set up by the user very quickly and easily and without requiring special equipment or additional fastenings for so doing.

A particular object of the present invention is the provision of such a device in which the bottle holding member may be made of paper board or the like in flat or knocked-down condition and the handle by which it is to be carried may be formed separately and of another sort of material and may-be easily assembled with or affixed to the bottle holding member by the user incident to the setting up of the device and wherein the attachment of the handle to the bottle holding member will be very secure and such. as to support the weight of the package safely and effectively,

Yet another object is the provision of such a bottle carrier which may be produced very economically, which is suitable for re- -use repeatedly, and from which the handle may be salvaged when the bottle holding member is no longer fit for use and may be subsequently used on other bottle holding members of similar construction.

Other and further objects of the invention will be pointed out or indicated hereinafter or will be apparent upon an understanding of it or actual use of it in practice.

For the purpose of aiding in explanation of the invention I show in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and hereinaiter describe, one form in which it may be embodied. It is to be understood. however, that this is presented merely for purpose oi illustration and is not to be construed in any fashion for the purpose of limiting the appended claims An understanding of the invention will be had most readily from the following detail description of the embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

short of the true and most comprehensive scope of the invention in the art.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the container in its flat or knocked-down condition and with a separate handle in position for attachment to it in the course of the setting-up operation;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the container in the form which it assumes at an early stage of the setting-up operation;

The body member of the container is formed from a sheet of paper board or similar material having the necessary strength and stiffness, from which sheet it is die cut and creased so as to have the form shown in Fig. 1. It comprises a bottom panel l0 and a pair of similar side panels ii and II, the latter of which remains connected to the bottom panel In along a crease line a and at its upper end remains attached to side panel I I along a crest. crease line b. Along the lateral margins of the side panels, which are defined by crease lines o, are similar wing flaps which are 'subdivided by crease lines d to form end wall sections l2 and tuck flap sections ll at opposite sides of each side panel, the contiguous tuck flaps remaining integral with each other along fold creases e in alignment with crease b. The crease lines d converge to the intersections of the line b with crease lines 0, whereat holes |5are punched through the sheet, and the conjoined tuck flaps is are provided with notches l6 which extend inwardly a short distance from their lateral margins on their line of junction. The notches l6 and fold creases e may be formed as illustrated in Fig. 4.

. The side panel H is provided at its lower end with collaterally disposed tongues ll having hooks l8, and the bottom panel I0 is provided with a slot l9 through which said hooks may be inserted when the tongues ll are overlapped one upon another. The side panels are also provided with bottle receiving apertures defined by slots 20,

' which are cut through the sheet to form the bottom and end margins of said apertures, and by fold creases j which define the upper margins of said apertures and along which the tabs 2|, which are partially circumscribed by the slots 20, remain attached to the side panels.

The dimensions of the bottom panel are such as to accommodatea plurality of the intended bottles standing thereon in two rows, in this instance six bottles in rows of three each,. and the bottle receiving apertures 22 are of such dimensions as to permit insertion of the intended bot- 5 ties through them bottoms first.

The containers are supplied to the users in tho flat collapsed or knocked-down condition illustrated in Fig. 1, in which form quantities of them can be packaged very compactly. with them are supplied handles which are to be attached to the containers by the user when they are set up by him. The handle 25 here shown is a flexible strand, of cordage or the like, of adequate tensile strength and of substantial cross-sectional size and is of a length which exceeds the maximum width of the container blank by three or tour inches. Its cross-sectional size is such that it may be engaged fairly snugly in the slots or notches i6, and it is knotted or otherwise equipped at its ends so as to provide stop or head portions 25a of such size that they cannot be drawn through said slots.

To set up and assemble the device the user takes one or the fiat blanks. and one of the handles and lays the blank, outer side downward, upon the handle with the latter extended transversely of the blank along approximately the fold crease b in approximately the relationship illustrated in Fig. 1. He then swings the ends of the handle upwardly about the lateral margins of the opposite sections it and engages the strand in the slots iii. He then swings the opposite sections As thus connected to the container, the handle aflords a ball or bight portion which extends above and lengthwise the crest oi the container, in whichposition it may be conveniently grasped in the hand for carrying the package.

For filling the container with bottles, the tabs 2| are swung inwardly along the crease lines I, thus opening the apertures 22, and the bottles are inserted through the apertures, bottoms first, to standing position on the bottom panel. Whenv so positioned, they are firmly gripped between the tabs 2!, at their inner sides, and the lower portions of the side panels at their outer sides, and those at the ends of the rows contact the end walls 82, which prevent their sliding of! the ends or the bottom panel. Thus all the bottles are retained securely in place. The proportions of the is inwardly toward each other along the crease lines d and the opposite sections i2 toward each other along the crease lines c, at the same time swinging the side panels H and II' toward each other along the crest crease line b, to positions as illustrated approximately in Fig. 2. This tolding of the parts along the lines indicated is continued until the contiguous sections ll at respective sides of the container aremoved approximately into suri'ace abutment with each other, whereupon the bottom panel I0 is swung upwardly along crease line a until its end margin contacts the side panel ll along crease line and thereupon the tongues l'l are folded down- 4 the container there is double thickness of the wardly across the end margin of the bottom panel and then overlapped laterally one. upon another and their hooks I8 inserted through slot l9. Upon being so inserted, the tongues II are permitted to spring back into collateral relationship, which causes the throats oi the hooks to engage the end margins of the slot i8. This interlocks the tabs i'l with the bottom panel ll and retains the device in its assembled and set up condition.

As thus set up,,the device has the form illustrated in Fig. 3, with the side panels extending upwardly from the opposite side margins 01 the bottom panel in converging relationship to the crest line b, the end wall sections [2 extending inwardly over the end portions of the bottom panel, and the .truck sections it extending inwardly from the end wall sections I! over approximately the median line of the bottom panel, the

. strand extends upwardly around the double marsins of the sheet presented at the holes i5 by the underlying tops of the sections is and the overlying portions of the side panels at the upper comers of the device.

container are such that when the bottles are so positioned in it, their tops extend above the crest b and the handle bight can extend suiiiciently above the tops of the bottles to permit its being grasped by the hand. The handle bight may be swung down from that position to a location below the tops of the bottles in order to permit other packages to be stacked upon the tops of the bottles and supported by them independently oi the container itself.

The attachment of the handle to the container the handle turns around the upper comers of tion available for re-use for returning the empty bottles and for reception Whatlclaim is: 7 7.

1. A bottle carrier comprising a, eet of paper board or the like creased to provide a bottom panel upon which bottles may stand and side panels extending upwardly from opposite side margins of the bottom panel, the side panels rrying wing flaps bent angularl'y from their of a new charge.

side margins to form end walls over. the ends of.

the bottom panel and tuck flaps bent angularly from the end walls along lines approximately perpendicular to the bottom midway between the side panels, said tuck flaps extending throughout most of the height of the end walls, and a handle having spaced end portions which have supporting engagement withthe tuck flaps over opposite ends of the bottom panel and an intermediate portion forming a bail extending from end wall to end wall above'the side panels.

2. A knock-down bottle carrier comprising a ilat sheet of paper board or the like creased to provide side panels which are joined to each other at their upper ends and a bottom "panel joined to one of the side panels at its lower end, said bottom panel and the other side panel being provided with means whereby they may be secured to each other in angular relationship when the carrier is set up, and wing flaps Joined to opposite side margins of the side panels and foldable inwardly therefrom to positions to form end walls over the ends of the bottom panel, said wing flaps being bottom panel.

3. A bottle carrier comprising a sheet of paper board or the like creased to provide a bottom panel upon which bottles may stand and side i panels extending upwardly from opposite side margins of the bottom panel and wing flaps joined to lateral margins of the side panels and extending inwardly therefrom to form end walls extending transversely of the bottom panel and tuck flaps extending inwardly from said end walls over the longitudinal median line of the bottom panel, and a handle tormed of a strand having spaced ends in supporting engagement with upper portions 01 said tuck flaps over opposite ends of the bottom panel and its intermediate portion forming a bail extending transversely of the side panels over their upper ends.

4. A knock-down bottle carrier comprising a sheet of paper board or the like creased to provide a pair of side panels and a bottom panel and wing flaps joined to the lateral margins of the side panels and extending angularly therefrom to form end walls, said wing flaps having tuck portions extending angularly from them over the bottom panel adjacent the upper ends of the side panels, and a handle having spaced end portions in supporting engagement with said tuck portions and a bail portion joining said end portions and ailording a hand'hold disposed above and extending lengthwise of the upper ends or the side panels. 7

5. A bottle carrier comprising a sheet of paper board creased to provide side panels which are joined to each other at their upper ends and bottom portions forming a connection between the lower ends of the opposite side panels and affording abottom upon which bottles may stand and wing naps folded inwardly along opposite margins of the side panels to positions where they extend transversely oi! the bottom panel, said wing flaps including also tuck flaps folded to positions where they extend inwardly over the longitudinal median line of the bottom, the tuck flaps or opposide side panels being connected to each-other at their upper ends and provided with notches adiacent their inner margins, and a handle formed of a strand having its end portions formed for retentive engagement in said notches and its intermediate portions extending first outwardly between upper portions of the connected tuck flaps and thence upwardly in the form of a bight running transversely of the side panels,

6. A bottle carrier comprising a sheet of paper board or the like creased to provide a bottom panel andside panels extending upwardly in converging relationship from opposite side margins thereof and wing flaps joined to lateral margins of the side panels and extending inwardly therefrom transversely of the bottom panel, said wing flaps including also tuck portions extending inwardly over end portions of the bottom panel along its longitudinal median line, and a flexible handle having its ends connected to the upper ends of said tuck portions over opposite ends of the bottom panel and its intermediate portion forming a bail extending transversely of the side panels over their upper'ends.

7. A bottle carrier as specified in claim 6 and wherein the tuck portions of opposite side panels are connected to each other at their upper ends and clasp end portions of the handle between them.

8. A bottle carrier comprising a sheet of paper board or the like creased and folded to provide a bottom panel and side panels extending upwardly from opposite side margins thereof and wing flaps bent angularly from side margins of the side panels to form end walls over the bottom panel and tuck flaps bent angularly from the end walls and extending over the bottom panel approximately midway between the side panels, and a bail-like handle having a portion extending above and along the upper ends of the side panels and end portions engaged with the wing flaps over opposite ends of the bottom panel adjacent the upper ends of the side panels, said handle constituting means whereby the device may be carried pendulously.

9. A bottle carrier as specified in claim 8 and wherein the side panels are joined to each other at their upper ends and are provided with bottlereceiving apertures through which bottles may be inserted bottoms first toupright positions on the bottom panel with their tops extending above the upper ends of the side panels.

10. A bottle carrier as specified in claim 8 and wherein said tuck flaps include portions extending inwardly from opposite ends of the bottom panel and the ends of the handle are engaged with the upper ends of said portions at a distance inwardly i'rom the ends of the bottom panel.

7 EDWIN L. ARNESON. 

